Saturn in Scorpio: Time to Get Real…

While Saturn travelled through Libra, we were tasked with new learning. Saturn is always about learning as evidenced by the fact that wherever he resides in your chart is a place where you are especially under-prepared. If you have Saturn in Libra therefore, you start out with a difficulty in relating in a mature and balanced manner. Life seems to throw lessons at you which force you to grow-up in that area of human endeavour. The hope is that as a result of Saturn’s stern erudition, you grow and mature to become an especially thoughtful example of the principle in question. With a Libra Saturn therefore, you become a role model of careful, mature and respectful relating. If you have worked consciously with your Saturnine taskmaster, later in life you will be held up as an example to others of what a decent and supportive partner should be, whether that’s in marriage, business or in the law firm. How it works in your life is dependent upon the matrix of aspects and expositions, but, provided that you do Saturn’s work diligently, you will be seen as a role model in the way in which Venus, her house and the house containing Saturn, and ruled by him, are configured in your chart.

When Saturn moves into Scorpio, the energy shifts. Saturn feels rather comfortable in Libra because they have a shared familiarity with principles of reason. Venus is genuinely cooperative, and Saturn is mature and they both enjoy doing things properly, in a seemly and just manner. It might be that with Saturn in Libra there is an early difficulty with seeing the other person’s point of view, but that is the lesson. Just as with Saturn in Libra’s opposite sign Aries, there is an early difficulty with going it alone. This is why it is usually at the Saturn return that Saturn in Libra gets serious about relationship. Saturn also rules separation, so if you think back over the last two years you will see that the people who could not relate to you with respect are gone from your life.

But with Scorpio, the energy is not nearly so mutually compatible. While Libra’s domicile causes Saturn to, rather sympathetically, learn to be reasonable, Saturn in Scorpio has no such concern. Here Mars’ night rulership, and Pluto’s domain are under the spotlight of Saturn’s harsh lessons, and this means that we have to learn to grow-up in a way that is almost diametrically opposed to Libra’s benign pressures. Libra is about appearances and the niceties of life, about relating and about being considerate toward others. With Scorpio, the growing up required by Saturn is all under the surface.

It is in part for this reason that Saturn is not nearly so comfortable in Scorpio as it is in Libra. With Libra we do not have to dig deep to grow because we can formalise instead. When we put Venus (in her Libra guise) together with Saturn we create various new forms: marriage contracts, polite conversation, business law, financial regulation, older lovers, business functions. When we put Saturn together with ‘dark Mars’ and Pluto, the energy shift is bound to be uncomfortable, because we cannot formalise our deepest self in the same way that we can formalise aspects of relating. With Libra Saturn it is enough to learn to communicate with maturity in your primary relationship: that is an important lesson for any successful union between two people, but with Scorpio Saturn the work is very personal and very deep. You will be tasked over the next two and a half years with growing up in the very depth of your being. In a way this complements Saturn’s transit through Libra which has forced us to grow up on the outside, because now we have to walk the walk too.

And there is an added dimension here because for the first time since 1776, Saturn and Pluto are in mutual reception. “1776!” I hear you ask. “That rings a bell!” you say. Because 1776 was the year that the United States declared independence from Britain, so this particular transit is especially pertinent for America (and Britain actually); the energy signature is a repeat of that time. In truth it is arguable that in many ways it is more potent because Pluto was not fully revealed in human consciousness as it is now. When the Declaration of Independence was written by Jefferson it contained some truly reasonable ideals and aspirations, and at the time of its signing, Saturn was in Libra and the 10th house, that is a public statement of reason for sure. But by December of that year, Saturn had moved into Scorpio, and it came time to actually deliver on those high-minded ideals, and that is where the truly difficult work was begun.

For the United States of old, as for us today, the challenge remains the same. We have worked hard to become more reasonable, more fair-minded and more cooperative during Saturn’s sojourn in the scales, but now it is time to get beneath the polite veneer and see if we are capable of delivering that maturity from a place of deep truth. We can’t just talk the talk any more, people are beginning to see through it and we are being tested to see if that outer maturity comes from the inside, or if it is just a veneer.

It is for this reason that Saturn in Scorpio is truly tough. We can’t fake it till we make it any more: it’s time to grow up on the inside.

Share this:

Like this:

Related

29 thoughts on “Saturn in Scorpio: Time to Get Real…”

I have Saturn in late Scorpio in the 9th whole house. The taskmaster professor made me laugh since it does involve my 9th house. Hopefully we’ll all put our hard earned Saturn in Libra lessons to work as Saturn enters Scorpio. ALL or nothing I would say is the Saturn in Scorpio lesson.

I was thinking the other day how important our internal processes are, especially when we are going through a tough time and want to survive it in a healthy way. I wonder if it was an insight that I’ll need as Saturn goes through Scorpio and my eight.

I’m wondering how a transit of Saturn from 2nd house Scorpio affects a person with an 8th house Saturn in Taurus. Since the 8th house Saturn anyway has a Scorpion flavor to it, is it going to be more like a conjunction/Saturn return or an opposition with an emphasis on the second house? Does it make a difference if the 8th house cusp is Aries (since mars co-rules Scorpio) rather than Taurus?
Thanks.

Well, it will be a time of getting real about resources and values, especially about valuing yourself. The fact that Saturn transits the 2nd isn’t in and of itself an issue, but you will feel the tension to ‘get real’ about values and resources (what’s yours and what isn’t) when the opposition hits. House rulerships are where energies tend to play out in their long term effect, so Saturn transiting the 2nd and opposing Saturn in the 8th will have its roots in other people’s resources, there will be a clash with your own values and resources and the result will manifest into whichever house is ruled by Saturn, the 4th?
If it is the 4th then property may be in the frame, or an inheritance from a family member. It is that kind of picture.

MAH ~ it’s not your return. It is an opposition via Saturn’s placement, so I’d say time to use Saturn to your best advantage. Saturn transiting the first house, which seems to be your case, is supportive and consolidating for your goals. Saturn transiting through the 12th is “strange” ~ it brings morphic thoughts up to the light of day. Necessary, but not so seemingly practical. Enjoy Saturn through your first !

Saturn has entered my 5th, although that house is ruled by Venus (Libra)…I’m a bit apprehensive. I’m an artist, and I can appreciate the need for me to get serious about working hard for my craft (singing)…but I’m wondering what lessons it has for me in the area of love affairs.

Saturn in my 5th ruined my artistic creativity, because it was going through a ‘revamp’. I do say ruined it because I was happy with what it was before, but I simply stopped doing anything artistic because every time I tried, nothing happened. It was like creative constipation LOL.
For two years. I was so depressed, it was the worst time of my artistic/creative life, ever (and I am in my late 30s).

After 2 years of this drought, I finally started creating again and my work looked better than ever. Apparently the whole time I had been gestating. But it’s like, I wasn’t even practicing outwardly. Something was coming together in the darkness that was passing over my 5th (where my SUN is as well) so that when the cloud and fog passed, I barely recognised my old work because I could no longer associate with it. My new work was 100% better, more ‘me’ somehow.

Whenever Saturn enters a house in our chart we tend to get very serious about the issues that it rules. We might do that as a natural inclination or we might have that seriousness forced on us in some way. Evidently it’s better to be in charge and decide to put that energy into that area of our lives consciously.

A good example is (I think) leonard Cohen (but I confess I might be thinking of Dylan), who has Saturn in the 5th. His songwritying becomes a real craft as a result: he takes an inordinate amount of time composing and refining each of his songwriting efforts: it can take upwards of a year for him to ‘finish’ a song.

Saturn also describes a style of energy. If we have Saturn going into Scorpio in the 5th then we might be drawn into a love-affair with somebody who embodoes these principles. They might be older, serious, professional or a person of considerable status that challenges us in very deep and profound ways. If we do experience the energy of the transit through a person in this way, you can be sure that they will change you at the most primal level. You may of course find yourself having to take responsibility for children, or an aging male relative at this time, because Saturn normally brings responsibilities too, and often we don’t really enjoy them, even if they are doing us a lot of good.

Thank you Moira Campbell for explaining that to me – I like the “Morphic” thoughts also – there where times during this year when I tried to make myself disappear – and /or “morph” into something else for a while hope that doesn’t sound too strange – now I understand why –

Saturn has entered my 8th house where it transited in libra (I have natal saturn in Libra) but still is when entering scorpio (according to my chart on astrodienst) and should be transiting the 9th house in about a year and half. My sun is in scorpio and the 8th house too. I wonder how much the sun/saturn relationship will affect me. I found saturn in libra very hard and challenging.
Aquarius is my rising sign.
Also I have read that “Financial blocks are quite possible at this time, especially if the Sun is associated with the second or eighth house by position or rulership.” in cafeastrology.com
What do you think about it?

Wherever Saturn gets involved in Pluto/Scorpio or the 8th house, it challenges us to dig deep. If the 8th house is in the picture, and the Sun too, and Scorpio, then look to your husband, father or partner. These are the most common outsources for Sun in a female chart. If you have no important male figures in your life then you’ll have to carry it yourself. You are living through it either way of course.
There will be issues with resources, but not yours. Usually a partner will struggle and that will cause you to have to get down to some serious work to help them out. Alternatively you might find that any debts you have cannot any longer be ignored, so you have to get down to the nitty gritty and work your way out of it. In every case though, this combination is designed to get rid of the fluff from your life. It asks you what you *really* need to survive. Sometimes when we’ve been through this kind of transit (Saturn in Scorpio hitting our Sun, or in the 8th, or Saturn and Pluto making contacts to each other in our chart) we end up being surprised about how much stuff we have let go without actually missing it very much. We learn that most of the things we once saw as essentials aren’t really essential at all. That manifests mostly through material resources, but it can be that way for relationships too. Sometimes we find that there are ‘essential’ people in our lives who we can let go.
However it works, and painful though it might be at the time, these transits lighten the load for us. We get rid of all the crap and feel much more free and unencumbered once it’s done. Good luck.

I can relate well to Isabelle’s journey, Jeremy. With Saturn passing out of Libra throughout 2011 and into 2012, I was compelled to separate with my wife. I had been living everyone else’s version of how to live and be a success, without inspecting what my deepest needs for fulfillment were. As a prelude to where I am today, I embarked on a programme of re-training for a career in IT consulting in 2003, following a near-fatal winter mountaineering fall on Ben Nevis in February 2001. There is also no coincidence that Pluto was transiting my 12th House in Sagittarius (also my Ascendant) across February 2001. I met my wife after this in 2005.

So the Lord Hades rewarded me with a 3.5 month hospital stay, learning how to walk, eat, think and write again; my right leg beneath the knee was amputated, together with a life-threatening head injury, 3rd degree frost-bit which claimed c.75% of my fingers – I was right-handed, I am now a ‘leftie’ by default. Since that February 2001 I feel as if I have live a whole life-time! It was at this juncture in my life that I became drawn toward depth psychology, personal transformations, and ultimately, to astrology. Given my background in the sciences and computer engineering, at first I struggled to reconcile the personal revelations I experienced the further I delved into my astrological nativity.

With Scorpio currently in my 10th House with Saturn and the North Node, Pluto transiting my 1st House in Capricorn (with natal Mars conjunct my Ascendant and square to natal Pluto…oddly enough, I have natal Venus in the 1st House in Aquarius…a curious juxtaposition between the signs!), and the Mid-Heaven of my nativity also being in Scorpio, I find this hardly coincidental. The relationships in the 10th House necessitated ‘maturing’. This is exactly what has been happening over the past 12 months in the IT career, as my performance dipped significantly after separating from my wife and children. With Sun Opposition Pluto, I’d made a grand job of projecting the unpleasant, denied and neglected aspects of my persona onto colleagues, family and friends alike. It was the threat of being sacked, together with the Shadow projections I noticed, and began to accept as essentially ‘me’, as part of the transformational life coaching career/calling, that I ascribe to Saturn’s encampment in Scorpio. Time to grow up, laddie.

hi…friends!! i am a libra and born with saturn and uranus in my 8th house……i am suffering from tensions and hardships from last two year…i have not much knowldge of stars and their effects..can anybody tell me that saturn entry in scorpio ( born with saturn and uranus in my 8th house..) will now effect me more or my hardships are over because saturn has left libra?

It’s difficult to say too much about this without knowing which sign your Saturn is in as well, and also which house has Capricorn on its cusp. Broadly, you are quite well prepared for Saturn in Scorpio because in the 8th house there is already some of that quality in your soul, so you are ‘cut out’ for Saturn in Scorpio in a way that many aren’t. That said, Saturn always makes a stern test in his sign and house before the age of 40, and especially so before age 30. You will get there, just give it time.

Also, pluto in scorpio house 7 and sun pisces house 12.. anyone care to take a stab at that? I’m an amateur and find learning astrology to be fascinating and difficult. I love it, and am always trying to learn more.
warmly,
Kelly

Hello Jeremy,
was born with Sun in Cancer and Saturn there in house 3, as I researched on my own, Orcus, home is 3 in my chart, near Saturn (Aries Ascendant and Moon in Aquarius)
Now Saturn transiting my 7th house in Scorpio …
Next year? Pluto in 7th house by solar revolution …
Can you tell me something about these issues?

The area of the couple, has not been very happy recent years. And now feels limiting saturn hand … I hope to get out of traffic with more maturity.

Hi! I really like your way to write things 🙂 . About this issue about Saturn, I’ve been in doubt because I can’t find any site with a clue about my natal situation for I figure out something…can you help me pleaaaase? lol ok, *dramma queen*, let’s go: I have MC (27°…) conjunct Pluto (29°…) in Libra AND Saturn (10°…) & Mars (26°…) in Scorpio in the same house. Yes, they both are “intercepted planets (scorpio)”…Also, my natal Saturn is the apex of a T-square with Aqua moon (8°…)/rising (1°…) (1th house) and Sun Leo (18°…)(7th house). If helps, my chart ruler is Uranus in Sag (11th) and Venus (3°) is in Virgo conjunct Mercury(12°) Virgo in 8th…what could I figure out this thing with my first saturn return?
Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with all of us 🙂
xoxo from Brazil!

Just thought I’d share my experiences with retrograde Saturn in Scorpio (18 sc 30′). This is in my second house, material well-being. Until my first Saturn return, I was a graduate student in psychology, most of the way through my Ph.D. At age 27, the whole thing blew up in a sexual harassment dispute. As a lowly student, I had no defenders, and was forced to give my training up. My Saturn opposes a Nessus/Mercury conjunction, incidentally!

With some help from my parents, I was able to find a new career as a computer programmer. This time, I thought, I will be able to say that the program ran or it didn’t. No more creeps taking control of my career and income. Maybe Saturn liked the programming, because it lasted for 10 years. At that time I developed some health problems, which led to absence from work, eventual legal wrangling over disability insurance, and eventually, no job and no income.

In 2004, I found myself homeless. To make a long story short, after two years in shelters, I was able to find subsidized housing. Four years after that, I began receiving partial disability payments instead of welfare. I used to look at Saturn on my chart, and mentally scream and curse at that greasy retrograde turf lord!

Anyway, I’ll be 58 this year, and Saturn is coming back to its natal home. There’s not much left to take this time, so I’m wondering what the next couple of years have in store! I’ve learned much about our society and its truths, something that Scorpio promises. But look out, because Saturn in Scorpio means business!

Also, thanks for the insightful blogs and journal articles. I’m a follower!

Wow….I thought I had it rough. Sally H., your story has made me appreciate that I have a home, at least for the time being. Thank you for that.

With Saturn in Scorpio, opposite my Venus, I felt oddly disconnected from the world socially and romantically. Like a “boy in the bubble” effect. As a Gemini Rising, I love communication, but I had few social contacts to communicate with, and it’s sad and lonely. Oddly, the few contacts I was making were with people who weren’t appropriate (for instance, a woman who just moved into the apartment complex I’m leaving soon – she wanted a friend in the complex; I couldn’t provide that). This social isolation has provided me with a cocoon of sorts where I can think about what social contacts I want in my life. There will be plenty of new ones come fall, when I start school, so I’m utilizing this opportunity to come to know what kind of friends and lover I want.

I decided I want people who are similar to myself: Goal-oriented and driven (or successful and willing to help others with their goals), intelligent, strong communicators. Too often have I been associating with people who were too unlike myself. Apples and oranges may both be fruit, but they’re totally different colors and flavors…. I’ve been screening out people who I don’t believe I have anything in common with. I worry I may be getting carried away with the screening though, which means Saturn in gregarious Sagittarius may need to teach me a thing or two about letting people back in. Scorpio is known for extremes….

Thanks for commenting about your Saturn in Scorpio transit. Mine’s going about as well as yours 🙂 But you made a good point, that Saturn teaches us to be choosy and think carefully about things. My natal Sun/Mercury/Nessus opposition to Saturn may have left me impoverished, but it has often been a friendly teacher. I’ve learned to enjoy hunting for bargains, making my own clothes, and even to reward myself with little treats instead of being a miserly budgeting tyrant.

I’m a Taurus, so Saturn is always opposite my Venus, in a way. Libra ascendant, air sign, a little like yours in Gemini. I often think that being choosy about relationships can be OK. We can’t put ourselves down for being dateless, even if we get a little lonely. Sometimes a sensible, solitary person can meet a serious mate once he/she gets past superficial things.

I’m older – retirement and beyond. Saturn in Scorpio brought up my work history in an unpleasant way the way the cards fell – so I so apprec. that it is “maturing within”. I can relate to. I’m stable with finances but poverty level -saturn cusp 2nd. and with jupiter in the 4th in Leo it feels like ‘faith” is what is needed to learn and that going super well.
Only now til xmas and its out – so I see myself within on the back of a bee going to a certain part of the river in a certain home town and I really wonder. As it turns out the bee has 5 eyes and follows the light and it is becoming popular on TV kids story and in a book on fictional bee characters.Chapters. So I learn from a friend in that town that a new park was built at that area i described. River front park.
Boardwalk. Much construction downtown close by. Changes. I have venus in Leo by prog. almost at natal pluto now so that made sense. I’m gearing up to maybe move there again but it means leaving my grand children to the distance of a hr or so.
There is no real suggestion that seeing all this means I should move so boy am I lost and amazed. Yet now jupiter is moving from cancer the domestic to Leo too. The symbol being nature this time is interesting.

"Jeremy Neal's masterwork about Orcus is a major contribution to the advancement of astrology. Facing the real significance of these newly-discovered trans-Neptunian bodies is not work for the faint-hearted. This is a courageous book that carries the reader into the heart of darkness. Fortunately, it also carries us out again! Neal faces painful subjects unflinchingly, and yet never loses sight of the higher ground. I enthusiastically welcome his voice to the conversation."